NewEra Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 (edited) My take on what the Bills might do is let Levitre go pick Eric Fisher first round and move Cordy Glenn inside. Use the Levitre money for another FA I can definitely see that happening. Those that are saying, if we let Levitre go, it's another hole to fill.....sure, it's another hole to fill but it's also another 7-8 million dollars of cap room we'll have in order to fill that hole and maybe another. Two 4 million dollar players might help this team out more than one 8 million dollar player. It goes both ways. Edited February 10, 2013 by NewEra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 I can definitely see that happening. Those that are saying, if we let Levitre go, it's another hole to fill.....sure, it's another hole to fill but it's also another 7-8 million dollars of cap room we'll have in order to fill that hole and maybe another. Two 4 million dollar players might help this team out more than one 8 million dollar player. It goes both ways. And whither the learning curve and adjustment period vs. that of the known commodity? I see it costing the Bills football games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Too many weaknesses on the team. Solidify something Bills FO ! The O line is a great place for continuity. I would be looking for Woods potential replacement at this point not Andy's. Many good points in this thread from differing camps. One that stands out is the call for Marrone recruiting Byrd and Levitre via Pettine and Hackett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Losing Levitre would be the worst FA loss since we lost Pat Williams. That would be !@#$ing horrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 How high do you think the Bills should be willing to go to keep him? 5/35, 18 guaranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 5/35, 18 guaranteed. That's around what I was thinking. Giving him much more than that seems foolish to me. I get the concept of continuity on the line, but if you're going to replace a guy, year 1 of the new regime seems the time to do it. Also, $8-10 mil to me is the kind of money reserved for a difference maker. I value Levitre, but I don't know that I value him to that tune. Not when you consider what you could get in FA for that kind of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 That's around what I was thinking. Giving him much more than that seems foolish to me. I get the concept of continuity on the line, but if you're going to replace a guy, year 1 of the new regime seems the time to do it. Also, $8-10 mil to me is the kind of money reserved for a difference maker. I value Levitre, but I don't know that I value him to that tune. Not when you consider what you could get in FA for that kind of money. Well said sir. 8-10 million is a LOT of money, especially for a guard. With Brandon's new approach, he may not be worth 9-10 million per year. Another team may pay him that and I don't see him giving us a home town discount. He's wants to test FA. I think there's zero chance he signs before free agency starts and if someone offers him more than we think he's worth, its on to plan B. Byrd needs to be franchised, if not resigned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5325/louis-vasquez This is why Andy Cialis isn't worth $8+ mil/yr. Louis Vasquez is only looking for $6 mil. Now Andy may be marginally better, and the continuity has some value even if the line is about to learn a new system starting this year, but how much more production are you getting for the $2-4 million difference? $2-4 million could be the difference between Dwayne Bowe and Robert Meacham. Plus Vasquez could probably beat Levitre in a fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I can definitely see that happening. Those that are saying, if we let Levitre go, it's another hole to fill.....sure, it's another hole to fill but it's also another 7-8 million dollars of cap room we'll have in order to fill that hole and maybe another. Two 4 million dollar players might help this team out more than one 8 million dollar player. It goes both ways. i agree with this for the most part. But... And it's a big but... What if we don't sign any other FAs? Or why should it even matter considering were not in cap hell trying to save as much as possible like the Jets. Any is good, he's been a quality starter for years and he is potentially the best OLmen on this team. It's gonna be a tough nut to swallow if you try and justify not keeping him. Even if it means signing someone else, and especially if we're not hurting for cap room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 http://www.rotoworld...5/louis-vasquez This is why Andy Cialis isn't worth $8+ mil/yr. Louis Vasquez is only looking for $6 mil. Now Andy may be marginally better, and the continuity has some value even if the line is about to learn a new system starting this year, but how much more production are you getting for the $2-4 million difference? $2-4 million could be the difference between Dwayne Bowe and Robert Meacham. Plus Vasquez could probably beat Levitre in a fight. That's all well and good but he is probably looking for $6MM from the Chargers and more from another team. Recalling the Tyson Clabo situation, he could have his heart set on staying in SD and just want to use other teams to up SD's best offer. You really never know what either the players or the other teams are thinking. I think all things being equal, we have a better shot at Levitre for a little more money. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $35-40 million over 5 years is going to get him done, and maybe the Bills are in a position to offer more guaranteed money which could keep the overall value down. I am not sure that I care about getting a Bowe over a Meachem type and would like to look to the draft and the next tier of free agents instead of paying another WR $5MM plus per year. There aren't a lot of situations where a FA #1 WR comes in and makes an impact commensurate with his payday. I think you've gotta look for the lower hanging fruit and find guys who are hungrier since WRs are so often problem children to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 That's all well and good but he is probably looking for $6MM from the Chargers and more from another team. Recalling the Tyson Clabo situation, he could have his heart set on staying in SD and just want to use other teams to up SD's best offer. You really never know what either the players or the other teams are thinking. I think all things being equal, we have a better shot at Levitre for a little more money. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $35-40 million over 5 years is going to get him done, and maybe the Bills are in a position to offer more guaranteed money which could keep the overall value down. I am not sure that I care about getting a Bowe over a Meachem type and would like to look to the draft and the next tier of free agents instead of paying another WR $5MM plus per year. There aren't a lot of situations where a FA #1 WR comes in and makes an impact commensurate with his payday. I think you've gotta look for the lower hanging fruit and find guys who are hungrier since WRs are so often problem children to begin with. Clabo's a perfect example of fans overvaluing a player. There were people on this board adamant about paying him $10 mil/yr & he signed for half that. Not sure I agree w/ the WR theory, but that's a side issue. The main point is if you start overpaying for talent you end up with mediocre talent and little room to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 When was Incognito in the pro bowl? This year. He was chosen as a ProBowl Alternate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I can definitely see that happening. Those that are saying, if we let Levitre go, it's another hole to fill.....sure, it's another hole to fill but it's also another 7-8 million dollars of cap room we'll have in order to fill that hole and maybe another. Two 4 million dollar players might help this team out more than one 8 million dollar player. It goes both ways. Disagree. We should look at the replacement value for a.player of Levitre's caliber. If he indeed commands 7-8+ in FA, there is a very good reason for that - he is a superikr talent and one that teams struggle to find. For years we fumbled with the OL, let players like Ruben Brown walk. Then got desperate enough to overpay for players like Dockery. Levitre at 8mm/yr is much more valuable than 2 OL at 4mm each. Urbik was an anamoly. Have to retain Levitre. He is the kind of player we ask Fitz to restructure for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Have to retain Levitre. He is the kind of player we ask Fitz to restructure for BTW, the OP for the Fitz thread still hasn't changed the title. As far as anyone knows, the Bills have not approached Fitz about a contract restructuring. It's an unsubstantiated rumor at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 The most baffling scenario involves keeping Fitz and losing Levitre because he costs too much money, when Fitz probably would have gotten killed without Levitre the past three seasons. The wrong priorities are at work with that kind of thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 The most baffling scenario involves keeping Fitz and losing Levitre because he costs too much money, when Fitz probably would have gotten killed without Levitre the past three seasons. The wrong priorities are at work with that kind of thinking. It'd definitely be a Bills move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 BTW, the OP for the Fitz thread still hasn't changed the title. As far as anyone knows, the Bills have not approached Fitz about a contract restructuring. It's an unsubstantiated rumor at this point. Thanx. I am currently in India wit very limited internet access and hence not up to.speed with all news. However, asking Fitz to resrructure makes a lot of sense if the new coaches value him as a backup. But my point was that Fitz is over paid right now and such money is better collected for players such as Levitre and Byrd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffBill Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I have this overwhelming feeling they we are simply going to let him walk and barely make an offer to him. I just don't understand this. At LG, he it's not a scheme thing. He's the best FA LG available. We don't have someone ready to replace him, so we'd have to draft someone. He's been healthy and a beast for us. I cannot understand how this could happen or what the justification would be He is rated as the top FA Guard by most, but has also stated that he is going to shop for the best deal. If the Bills decide to dish out top dollar they may be able to keep him. Can you really blame him if a contender wants to give him big bucks? My guess is he is gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 He is rated as the top FA Guard by most, but has also stated that he is going to shop for the best deal. If the Bills decide to dish out top dollar they may be able to keep him. Can you really blame him if a contender wants to give him big bucks? My guess is he is gone. On a rational level I wouldn't blame him as a person at all, but as a fan I'll hate him forever if he walks away from a competetive offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Omg the sky is falling. The free agency period just started and we haven't signed the most coveted offensive linemen available in free agency yet. With this team, that's become second nature... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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